Tower Prep: Level Two
by wonbyabowball
Summary: Ian, Gabe, Suki, and CJ have entered the Level Two of the program. Can they handle it?
1. Chapter One

**Hey guys, it's me again. I've already written another Tower Prep story (I'm still working on it) I've kind of been having a big case of writer's block for that, so I started a new story. I'll probably go back to it again later but I think I'll make this story my main focus.**

**Anyways, this current story is set right after the season finale and what I think should happen in season two. The ideas for this story have been brewing in my head for awhile, but I finally was able to type them out.**

**Disclamer: I own nothing, except I guess I own my OC (I think?)**

**So without further ado, here it is, Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Ian archer woke up, fully clothed and on top of the covers of a bed. Not the bed he had become used to at Tower, no, this was a different one. He had a feeling of déjà vu. Similar to when he woke up at Tower, he had no idea as the where he was. Except this time, there were no obnoxious roommates to greet him; he woke up to a quiet room.<p>

Although, the silence was broken when a snore, loud and somewhat disgusting sounding, rang throughout the room. There was only one person who could snore like that, Ian realized, and his suspicions were confirmed when he looked over to the only other bed in the room. It was Gabe. _Gabe, _Ian thought, _you have no idea how good it is to hear your snore_.

Like Ian, the small boy was fully dressed and on top of the covers. He was still dressed in his West Campus uniform, consisting of a blue button-down shirt, khakis, and belt.

"Gabe. Gabe, wake up," Ian's voice called through the silence.

"No…" was Gabe's reply.

"Gabe, you gotta wake up."

"Huh? Ian, where are we?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is it just me, or does this place look _really _familiar."

For the first time, Ian looked around the room. It looked identical to their room back at Tower. The gray walls and bedding, the closets, the window. However, there were only two beds in the room, not three. Ian stood up and inspected the closet on his right. Sure enough, the nametag on it read _Ian Archer_, and when he opened it and looked inside, he saw his clothes; even the Birthday card CJ, Gabe, and Suki had gotten him. Gabe followed suit and looked inside of his closet with _Gabriel Lexington Forrest_ on it. He grumbled internally; he hated his full name. Like Ian's, his closet was stocked with his clothes, and there also was—

"Senor Guapo!" Gabe tightly hugged his beloved sock monkey, he was sure that after leaving him behind in West Campus, he would never see him again. "Oh, Senor Guapo, I will never _ever_ leave you alone again."

Ian smiled softly at his friend's attachment to the sock monkey. It reminded him of his dog, even after it died three years earlier, Ian still missed him.

"Ian," Gabe interrupted his thoughts, "we aren't at Tower, are we?"

"I'm not sure," Ian replied, "it seems so familiar, but I don't think we are."

"Where could we be, then?" Gabe wondered aloud as he strolled over to the window, Senor Guapo held tightly under his arm. He looked out the window and saw a forest, but it wasn't the same view that their window back at Tower had. No, this definitely was not Tower Prep.

"I think we should go look for CJ and Suki," Ian suggested, "maybe they'll have some ideas."

Gabe silently agreed, and the two crossed the room, opened the door, and carefully walked out into the hallway. The sign next to their door said _219_, which is exactly what their room number at Tower was.

"If our room number is the same, maybe CJ and Suki's is, too," Gabe said.

"It's worth a try," Ian responded.

CJ and Suki lived in room 364 back at Tower, which meant their room was probably on the third floor. Since Gabe and Ian were on the second floor, they ventured through the halls to where the staircase was back at Tower. The staircase was at the exact same place, which somewhat confirmed Ian's suspicions. Wherever they were, it was identical to Tower Prep, which gave Ian a spine-chilling idea. _Maybe this is another part of the program. Whisper said something about a level two, maybe this is it,_ he thought, and_ maybe CJ will know_.

They navigated through the halls, and soon enough, they arrived at where they believed CJ and Suki's room would be. They knocked on the door, no answer.

"Maybe they aren't awake yet," Gabe realized.

"I'll see if the door is locked."

Ian tried the doorknob, it was unlocked, so Ian quietly opened the door and crept inside. A feeling of relief flooded throughout his entire body. This was CJ and Suki's room, alright. He saw the sleeping forms of the girls, fully clothed and gestured to Gabe to go wake up Suki. While Gabe went over to Suki, he quietly walked over to CJ's sleeping body. He kneeled down and softly shook her. Her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up.

"Ceige, it's me."

"Ian?" He nodded. She reached over and hugged him, he hugged her back.

"Where are we?"

He let her go and looked into her eyes, "I'm not sure; we were hoping you could answer that."

"I'm not sure." She said while looking down. She looked up at him. "I'm not lying, either."

He sighed, "Okay, I believe you."

Suki, now awake, walked over them along with Gabe. "Okay guys, where exactly are we?"

"We don't know," Gabe answered, "but it seems to be identical to Tower, so I'm guessing it's a part of the program. Ceige?"

"I don't know. I didn't even know of a level two until Whisper talked about it. My dad never said anything about it, so either he didn't want me to know, or he didn't even know." Ian cringed when she said _my dad_. He hated the idea that CJ, so beautiful and kind, could come from someone as sadistic and cruel as Headmaster. He didn't care about what Whisper said about him being good, he was standing in the way of Ian's dreams of escape, so he was an enemy. He was unsure about what to do about CJ. He loved her, and she knew it, but she betrayed them and he was hesitant to believe her. His walls were back up, just like they were when he first came to Tower, and he wasn't sure if he should let them back down. Of course, he trusted Gabe and Suki with his life, so he wasn't hesitant to believe them, but he wasn't sure about CJ.

"Maybe we can ask someone here if they know where we are. There are dorms all around, so we just have to go and knock on someone's door, piece of cake," Suki suggested. She had looked out into the hallway and seen several other mahogany doors lining the hall.

"That's a good idea," CJ said, "let's go."

They left CJ and Suki's room.

"So, which lucky lady gets to answer our questions?" Gabe wondered aloud.

Suki snorted, "We can just try next door."

Ian, feeling bold and slightly agitated, walked over to room 365 and knocked on the door. Sure enough it opened, revealing a tall, athletic-looking girl wearing jeans and a Tower Prep hoodie. "Can I help you?" She asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Can we ask you some questions?" Ian asked.

"Sure, why not, curfew's in a couple of hours, come in."

They all entered her dorm room; it looked like the normal dorm, except there was only one bed, one closet, and one desk. At a closer look, Ian saw that the girl was taller than the average girl, maybe 5'9", and definitely worked out. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, so he was able to see her muscular calves. She was pretty good-looking, too, and definitely attractive.

"We'll start by asking your name," Ian said.

"My name is Chandler, and I'll start off by asking yours as well," she replied.

"I'm Ian, that's Gabe, Suki, and CJ," he answered while gesturing to each of them.

"Well, now that we're acquainted, ask me your questions."

"Where are we?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Ian. You're in Tower Prep: Level Two. Only the best make it here, but be careful, this place can be a living hell if you make it," She replied.

"What do you mean, by 'only the best'?" CJ asked.

"Tower Prep is just a test, a simple one at that. It is designed to be escape-able, but only to some people. All of the students here at Level Two either escaped from Tower or were brought straight here because their abilities were far too powerful to be placed at Tower. "

"Speaking of abilities, what is yours?" Suki asked.

"I can see weaknesses. Whether they're physical, mental, or spiritual, I see them all."

"Prove it," Ian challenged.

She smirked and walked up to each of them. To Ian she said, "You don't think before you act, you're impulsive, which has gotten you into trouble, hasn't it? You also have a huge fear of water."

Ian was stunned. He had never told anyone that before, and it was true. It had started when at a Fourth of July party when he was six, his extended family decided to celebrate near a lake. Ian wandered off by himself and fell into the lake. Nobody had heard him, but luckily a fisherman nearby saw him fall in and pulled him out of the water. He was terrified ever since.

Chandler then walked up to Gabe next, "You worry about not being important to the team, you think you slow them down, but really, your good humor cheers them up." Gabe smiled a little, he knew he couldn't fight very well and was a slow runner, but to find out about him cheering everyone up lifted his spirits.

Suki was next, "You second guess yourself too much, like the opposite of Ian, you over think things too much. If you stick with your gut feeling, you'll probably succeed more."

CJ was last; she was dreading this "Ah, so you're a deceiver. You expect your father, Headmaster, is it, to fix your problems. But be warned, your daddy isn't here to save you, rumor has it that the Headmaster of Tower doesn't even know about Level Two. "

"You haven't shown the physical part yet," Ian argued.

"If you insist." Chandler walked over to her desk and lightly touched a spot, near the center.

"Ha, nothing happened—"Ian was interrupted by a soft groaning noise, and Chandler's desk collapsed cleanly down the middle.

"You all seem so proud about the fact that you escaped Tower. It is, for people at _Tower_, but here, it's not an achievement at all. Many have escaped before you, many will escape after you. Did any of your roommates ever disappear?"

"Howard was supposed to come back from West Campus after six weeks but never did. And there's the Great Unknown," Gabe said to Ian.

"Howard, like Howard Gilmore? Tetra chromatic-vision Howard Gilmore?" Gabe nodded, "He lives down the hall. Apparently he used the tunnels to steal people's stuff, so the Board of Directors sent him here."

"You know about the tunnels? What about the observatory?" Suki wondered.

"Please, everybody knows about those," Chandler snorted, "I never saw them; I escaped about two weeks after I was sent to Tower. How long were you there?"

"I was there my entire life," CJ stated, "Suki was there for five years, Gabe for three, and Ian just short of a year."

Ian didn't know that they were there for so long, he never asked. He figured it never mattered.

"Wow. I know someone who was there for like, a day. How long did you plan escape?"

"About a year," Gabe replied, "our plans kept getting messed up. How did you escape?"

"I found a weakness in the wall."

"That's not possible, the wall isn't real," Ian said.

"Yeah, but only _part_ of the wall isn't real. The part of the wall that borders Level Two is real, whereas the part of the wall that surrounds all of Tower is an illusion. It's about a day's walk from Tower to Level Two."

"So, why haven't you escaped already, why hasn't that kid who was at Tower for a day escape then?" CJ asked.

"I've been here, looking for two years. There is no escape."

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><p><strong>Okay, so I hope that wasn't too bad.<strong>

**If my OC seems mean-ish now, she won't later and I wanted to establish the fact that their escape wasn't that special**

**So as always, reviews are appreciated, so please tell me you opinions or any ideas you may have.**

**Thank you!**

**:)**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hey guys, it's me!**

**I know I updated just yesterday, but a really good idea popped into my head today and I didn't want to lose it, so I wrote it down.**

**Also, I'm going to try and update every weekend, but this weekend I'm out of town, so this will serve as my weekend update.**

**I'm glad I came up with this story idea, and I hope you like ti**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>Fenton Capwell was puzzled. He hadn't seen Archer or the rest of his group for days now. So, they either escaped or they were captured and sent to West Campus. He did still have the idea that Redfang could've eaten them, though. Now that they were gone, only one out of the six of his phone contacts was actually at Tower. Emily was gone, as was Ian, CJ, Gabe, and Suki. That left only one person left: Ray Snider. He and Ray got along quite well and Don acted like he didn't exist. That was fine by Fenton, he was used to being ignored, ostracized even, because he was different. He had begun to make friends in his Webelos scout troop, but unfortunately he woke up at Tower. He hoped that since everyone at Tower was very different, maybe he wouldn't be considered <em>that<em> weird. Sure enough, people found his love of opera and different sense of style very odd. He figured they also were weirded out by the fact that he was very erudite. It didn't bother him, though; he was able to keep himself happy. He actually made friends with Archer and his gang and Emily, even Ray.

So, he decided he would search Ray out, and figure out whether or not they should look for Archer.

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><p>CJ Ward woke up to a very shrill beeping noise coming out of her PDA at six o'clock in the morning. <em>That's weird, <em>she thought, _Whisper didn't wake me up and it's an hour earlier than normal_. She internally grumbled, she definitely was not a morning person.

She looked over at Suki, who wore the same confused and irritated expression.

Forty-Five minutes later, she and Suki, fully dressed in their Tower Prep uniforms, were heading down to where they assumed the Cafeteria was. They assumed correctly, and got in line for breakfast. When she placed her ID in front of the monitor of the microwave-like food dispensers, she heard a soft _ding!_ and opened the door. There was her usual breakfast, granola with vanilla yogurt and strawberries, a glass of milk, and a cup of almonds. Again, she noted that Whisper was silent. Something was odd about this place, alright.

She was the last to sit down with Ian, Gabe, and Suki, who all had the same tired look on their faces.

"Good Morning how was your first night in Level Two?" a very perky and awake Chandler asked while sitting down with them, placing her tray with a peanut butter and banana sandwich on the table.

"Short," was Ian's curt reply, "why do we wake up so early?"

"You need all the time you can get, the Level Two schedule makes for a long day."

"We didn't get any schedules yet, when is orientation?" Suki wondered.

"Oh, there isn't an orientation, so you either have to ask around or figure it out," Chandler replied, "if you look at your PDAs, there should be an app that has your schedule in it."

They all pulled out their PDAs and found said app and inspected their schedules, only to become confused.

"But we only have classes for the first half of the morning," Ian stated.

"Level Two tends to focus less on academics than Tower does. There are A days and B days, which alternate. Today is an A day, so tomorrow is a B day, then an A day, and etcetera. You only have three classes a day, which are all in the morning. Let me see your schedules," she said.

They all did so and turned their PDAs so they were facing her. She scanned over each PDA and softly smiled, "Oh, it looks like we have the same schedules. So on A days, its Math, then Science, then Language. On B days it's English, History, and Music. It's a pretty simple and effective schedule."

"Awesome! Only three classes a day, then sweet freedom!" Gabe exclaimed.

"Hold your horses, Gabe," Chandler retorted, "You have your classes, then lunch, and then you train, usually intensely for several hours."

"So is there a person like Coach or something, then?" Ian asked, starting to wake up.

"Ha, as if," Chandler scoffed. "Coach hardly does anything at Tower; he barely even has a skill. You know what he can do? He can neutralize your ability, that's it. Ever notice how you barely even progressed at all under his teaching? Yeah, that's because you aren't supposed to make progress."

"That doesn't make any sense," Ian replied, defending his mentor. "Why would they try to stop your progress if they say you are supposed to develop your 'unique potential'?"

"I myself was stumped with that question for a _long _time. Then, I realized that you are _supposed_ to become frustrated with your lack of progress. That way you go looking for a way to make progress, and eventually stumble upon Level Two."

"Like what The Rooks are doing with Corvus H40?" CJ asked.

"The Rooks? Yeah, sort of. But they're only wannabes. They think they're so great that their abilities are 'advanced'. The fact of the matter is, Level Two makes your abilities become even more powerful than those losers can even imagine."

"And how exactly do they do that?" Ian replied, skeptical as usual.

"Instead of the same Coach for everyone, you are divided into groups based on your abilities. Postflex, Super strength, Super senses, you get the idea."

"Wait, _Postflex_? What is that; it sounds lame," Gabe retorted.

"It isn't lame, Gabe, people with Postflex can see things in the past. Johan over there," She pointed to a short boy with flaming red fair swooped across his face, "has Postflex. He's seen the creation of Tower, even the very messed up life of Cornelius Tower, that whack-job who started the place. Speaking of abilities, you never told me yours."

"I have Preflex," Ian responded with his chin held high.

"I can read people's emotions, like a book," CJ stated.

"Ah, Emotional Perception. I have what is called Weakness Perception. Since Perception is such a wide category, we'll be training together," Chandler stated.

"I have Mimicry."

"I have Hypersuasion, but I'm not good at it."

"Remember what I said earlier, Gabe, confidence," Chandler reminded him. She continued, "So, what'll happen is, after lunch, you go to the Athletic Building. Then, you'll tell Receptionist your name and ability, and she'll tell you where to go. Then, you'll train."

"Who will we be trained by?" Ian asked. He had to admit, he was curious about the whole one-on-one training idea, he wanted his skill to become more powerful.

"A specialist who actually has your ability, or something close to it. You'll be trained with a group of people who have the same ability that you do. We train for three, sometimes, four hours a day, then we can chill or do homework. Then Dinner, and curfew is at 11—"Chandler was interrupted by a bell ringing- like noise. "There's the tone, time to get to Math."

The group of teenagers picked up their breakfast trays and dumped them into the trash. A little nervous for their first day, Ian, Gabe, CJ, and Suki followed Chandler to Math.

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><p><strong>So, there is this weekend's update.<strong>

**I could really use your input and suggestions of what I should do in my future updates of the story.**

**ie: if I should continue with the Fenton plot, should I include Headmaster, romance, the list goes on.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy wrting it!**

**Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Hey guys, I know I havent' updated in awhile, but I couldn't think of what to make happen in this chapter.**

**But, without further ado, here is Chapter three!**

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><p>Ian Archer was nervous. He usually wasn't, but what he was about to do sent shivers down his spine and made his hands clammy. Here he was, nervous for a conversation he was about to have, when he wasn't even nervous about his first day in Level Two. He was almost excited for Level Two.<p>

After Breakfast that morning, he and his friends were herded to Math class by Chandler. Apparently it was an A day, so they had Math, Science, and Language. Those classes were pretty boring and easy for Ian. He didn't really like to talk much in class; he learned from listening to people, so he preferred to observe everyone. Like Headmaster, CJ's _father,_ he inwardly grimaced, had said, Ian was very intelligent. After class was training. He, Gabe, and Suki were told where to go for their training by Chandler, while CJ went with her. CJ gave Ian a sympathetic and scared look while following Chandler. He didn't return it.

He followed Chandler's instructions and walked past the Administration building into the building with a sign that said "Training" on it. Once there, he walked inside, took two left turns and a right turn, and arrived at the door with a plaque reading "Preflex". He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but was interrupted by a deep man's voice saying "Come in, Mr. Archer."

Ian walked into the room and looked directly at the man he assumed would be his trainer. He was tall, even taller than Ian, maybe 6'3''. He had dark brown hair that swooped over his forehead and brilliant blue eyes. His height, combined with the large amount of muscles he possessed made him very intimidating. He didn't look very old, though, he didn't look a day over 23. _Maybe right after he "graduated", he came to work here,_ Ian thought.

"Welcome, Mr. Archer, I'm your trainer, Preflex. I have your skill, and will be working one-on-one with you so you can develop your skill to its' full potential."

_Great, _Ian thought, _here they go with the 'full potential' thing again._

"I had you scared, didn't I, Ian? But I'm not exactly like Coach or the teachers at Level One. I know what you're going through; I went to Tower Prep and escaped, only to be brought here when I was about your age. I read your profile, 'Intelligent, Quick Tempered, Very Physically fit, and Determined'. I think we will get along nicely," He said, very genuinely. Ian, however, was apprehensive. He didn't know about this guy and he didn't want another person like Coach.

However, he decided not to be difficult, _Why not?_ he asked himself.

"I hope so, sir. So are there other people with Preflex here?"

"Not as many as usual, but yes. You will train with them, and learn from each other. There are three others. Follow me," Preflex said as he walked out of the door with Ian close behind.

They crossed the hall and walked into a room that looked similar to the skills lab back at Tower. The floor was a gray padding and the walls were white with fitness posters on them. One wall had several windows that showed the Level Two campus. The room was smaller than the skills lab, because not many people used the Preflex room.

Preflex and Ian walked across the room to a group of three other students.

"Alright guys, this is Ian," Preflex stated, "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Tyler," said a medium-height boy with pale blond hair and bright green eyes. He looked about 15 years old.

"Riley," said a girl with light brown hair with a small, yet muscular build.

"Alex," said the last boy, who was Hispanic. He was tall, but shorter than Ian, about 5'10'', with bulging arm muscles and very short black/brown hair. He wore a smirk, and for some reason, Ian was reminded of Ray Snider. The boy, about 17 years old, wasn't wearing a shirt, and instead was showing off his very defined 8-pack. He had a black tattoo of two snakes intertwined running down his left arm.

"I'm Ian, Ian Archer," He replied.

Training wasn't surprising to Ian. Preflex had him do several drills that he guessed were to figure out Ian's skill level. He was doing fine, until Preflex had him do the paintball drill Coach had him do, except Preflex had two paintball guns. Ian dodged as best as he could, but when Preflex stopped, he saw a splash of blue paint on his previously-white shirt.

"Good job, Ian. You can go ahead back to your dorm," Ian was dismissed.

He walked back into a locker room and found a locker with a tag that had his name on it.

"So, I hear you were the best fighter at Tower," Ian looked over to see Alex talking to him. Ian nodded, "even took on Ray Snider and won, huh?" Ian nodded again. "Well that was back at Tower, you're in a whole new playing field. Watch who you talk to and who you befriend," The Muscular Hispanic boy warned Ian with narrowed eyes," I wouldn't want you, to get _hurt_ or anything."

He left the room and Ian felt anger flood throughout his whole body. Somehow, he was able to restrain himself though, and changed out of his sweaty clothes.

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><p>He walked back to his dorm, thinking about something he had to get off his chest. He was nervous, very nervous. As he sat down on his bed, he noticed that Gabe wasn't back from training yet. For once, he was glad Gabe wasn't back, because he had to do something that he wanted to keep private. He pulled his PDA out of his pocket and scrolled down his contacts until he saw the name he was looking for, <em>CJ Ward<em>. In a bold move he clicked, _'Send new message'_ and typed out a message to her, hoping that she was done with training.

It said: '_Are you done with training yet?'_

His reply came about a minute-and-a-half later: '_Yes. Why do you ask?'_

'_I need to talk to you,'_ was his last reply, '_meet me in me and Gabe's room as soon as you can.'_

'_Okay.'_

He secretly hoped that she wouldn't show up, because he definitely wasn't ready for what he was about to do. Sure enough, five minutes later, he heard a knock on the door. A sense of dread flooded his body on his way to answer the door. The walk felt like decades, but it was only a couple of seconds. He was greeted by CJ's smiling face, which fell when she saw his face, "What's wrong?"

"Come in and I'll tell you, it's important," he replied with a grim look on his face.

"Go ahead," she said while plopping down on Ian's bed.

He let out a shaky sigh and turned towards her, "I was lying when I said that I believed you."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her. "I need to get this out. I'm sorry, but after what you did, I can't-I can't _do this _anymore."

"Do what?" She asked, shakily.

"You know how I feel about you. I think I love you. But, I'm not sure if you do. I asked you to come here today because I'm ending it. I'm ending whatever romance-thing we've got going on here, because honestly, I can barely look at you now. I know Suki and Gabe trust you, but I just can't do it. I love you, I still do, but you-you _lied_ to me CJ. You could've gotten me and everyone else hurt because you had to keep your secret. What's even worse is that you _betrayed_ us. When I found out, you broke my heart, CJ. You broke it, and I don't think it'll be fixed easily."

"Ian, I'm sorry, I truly am," CJ said with tears in her eyes, "but we can make this better, we can make this work. I love you, Ian."

"Don't you even know what you're doing to me?" he half-yelled. "You can't fix it quickly; my heart is going to need time to be healed. I'm sorry, but I have to end this. Until you somehow get my trust back, our romance or whatever is over. You know, after we escaped, I was going to ask you to be with me."

CJ got up and left, sobbing. Ian let a tear fall down his cheek, despite the fact he got everything off of his chest, he felt empty inside.

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><p>By the time Gabe came back, Ian had composed himself.<p>

"What's up, man?" Gabe asked as soon as he walked through the door.

"Not much," he lied. "How was your training?"

"Honestly, I kind of liked it," Gabe confessed.

"Yeah, me too."

When the tone rang, Ian and Gabe made their way down to the Cafeteria to get Dinner. Ian didn't look at CJ, and CJ didn't look at Ian.

Suki, Gabe, and Chandler, sensing something was wrong, let it go.

Forty-five minutes later, Ian was one of the few people still in the Cafeteria.

Chandler sat down across from him and asked, "What's wrong, Romeo?"

"Nothing," he replied, getting up and dumping his tray in the trash.

"It's CJ, isn't it?" He nodded.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"She's your biggest weakness, and you're hers." She got up and left.

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><p><strong>Wow, that was kinda depressing.<strong>

**As of now, I know this story will have Suki/Ray in it.**

**However, I'm not sure who I should pair Gabe with, or if he should be paired at all.**

**As for Ian, I _think_ it'll be CJ, but I'm not positive.**

**If you have any ideas, suggestions, etc. please review!**

**Or you can can just review if you like the story!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Hey guys, it's me again. Sorry about the long time between updates; my mind hasn't been on Tower Prep for awhile and I've been enjoying my summer break. **

**I also wanted to take some time to do some shout outs in response to some of my reviewers.**

**Blonde:**** I'm glad you've been enjoying the stories and today is your lucky day because Ray is (finally) making an appearance and is actually the main character in this chapter.**

**Lolita: ****I'm not really sure what exactly you are asking, but I think it involves Chandler's ability. Okay, so you seemed to be confused about what exactly it is. She can see weaknesses and she tells us which ones she can see when she says "I can see weaknesses. Whether they're physical, mental, or spiritual, I see them all." Since she sees physical weaknesses, she was able to find one in the desk which is why it broke when she touched it. She was able to sense Ian's hydrophobia because she sees mental weaknesses, too. I haven't figured out how the spiritual weaknesses work, but once I do, I'll put it in the story. Her ability is called 'Weakness Perception' and CJ's ability is called 'Emotional Perception', so CJ can sense other's emotions. Since 'Perception' is such a wide category, they are put in the same training group. Also, it isn't very wise or kind to call an author immature when you want updates. I'm not gonna lie, it annoyed me especially because I was just about to update...**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this long overdue update! :D**

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><p>As Ray Snider sulked through the halls of Tower, he couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't seen Suki in four days, no one had. He had spent the day asking around to see if there was any news on the whereabouts of the Japanese girl he had become almost obsessed with, but nobody had seen her. They all assumed that she'd been sent to West Campus along with the rest of Archer's gang, who nobody had seen either. He almost missed Archer. He wouldn't admit it, but he actually kind of liked him. He enjoyed their fights, which originally began with violent intentions but had become light-hearted. He supposed that Archer could be a good friend to him.<p>

Although he was popular at Tower, he kind of hated everyone there, the only exception being Fenton, his odd roommate and unexpected friend. He didn't actually enjoy Don's company; he only hung out with him because he was bored and Don was very persistent when they became roommates. He didn't talk much with Fenton; they seemed to have an unspoken understanding between each other. They were the only ones at Tower who didn't think Archer and his gang were sent to West Campus. After Emily showed them the map she found in Gabe's bag, he had thought about asking Archer if he could join his escape attempt. But now it was too late.

He scanned his PDA on the lock to his room and stepped inside. Almost immediately, he was greeted by Don.

"Hey man, movie night tonight? I know Lisa still _really_ wants me, you could go with her roommate, Ava," Don cockily asked.

"Nah, I don't have a thing for Ava," He replied, thinking of a certain missing Japanese girl.

"What? Why not? She's hot," Ray shrugged. "Okay, what about that Amber Sunkist girl, she's kinda hot, too."

"I don't want to, I have homework and I want to catch up on some sleep," Ray lied.

"Listen, I know you had a thing for Sato, but she's in West Campus. Even if she did come back, being with her would ruin your image." Anger flooded throughout Ray's entire body. He glared at Don, his eyes full of hate. "She's not even that good looking, anyway, and too smart."

Without warning, Ray slammed Don against the gray wall of their room. A sharp pain went down Don's back and he hit his head on the wall.

"_Never say that again,"_ Ray growled, rage obvious in his voice. He released Don who tripped and fell to the ground. "I'm going to the Library," Ray announced as he walked out the door without looking back.

As Ray practically ran to the Library his entire body was shaking from rage. He burst through the doors and stopped and mumbled, "Sorry," as Librarian shushed him. He quickly walked to his usual corner of the room, which held a faded brown leather chair that was currently unoccupied, as usual. He plopped down with a frustrated sigh and held his head in his hands. He was tired of being alone here, he just wanted to _leave. _Once again, his thoughts turned to Suki. God, he missed her. He lay down on the couch moping for what felt like hours, when a crazy idea popped into his head. He pulled his PDA out of his pocket, opened his contacts list, and stopped at the name he was looking for: _Suki Sato_. He had been shocked when she gave him her number, and he was very thankful for it now. As he typed his message and before he pressed '_Send'_, only one thought ran through his mind, _I hope this works_. He re-read the message to make sure that it was legible and that it made sense.

It read:

_Suki, where are you? Are you okay? Nobody's seen you in days; they think you've been sent to West Campus. I just need to know that you're alright._

_-Ray_

He pushed the button that would hopefully be able to re-establish contact with Suki. He set his PDA down in front of him on a table and sat staring at it for minutes, waiting for a reply. Finally, it came.

_Ray? How were you able to text me? I am fine, we all are. I can't tell you where I am, but it's not West Campus. I've been worried about you, too_

_-Suki_

He quickly typed out his next text.

_I'm glad you're okay. Are you out? Please tell me._

_-Ray_

Again, he waited for minutes, he supposed that she was not alone when she texted him back, and Archer, Forrest, and CJ were with her, telling her what to say. It frustrated him.

_This is Ian Archer. I'm sorry, but we can't tell you where we are, but we can lead you to it. Attached to this message is a map, which will lead you to our hideout. You should find some people you trust to work with to figure it out. Good Luck. We can't tell you much, but we can tell you this much: we left Tower, but not the program._

_-Ian Archer_

As he read the message, chills were sent down Ray's spine. _Out of Tower, but still in the program? What does that mean?_ Ray wondered as his PDA downloaded that map. He glanced at it briefly and knew who he would get to help him find their hideout.

* * *

><p>Coincidentally, Fenton Capwell was also looking for Ray. He had scoured almost all of Tower, and the only place he hadn't checked was their room. He unlocked the door with his PDA and stepped inside, only to see Don sitting on his bed with an icepack.<p>

"Where is Ray? I need to speak to him," Fenton inquired.

"Not here," Don replied, rather angrily.

Fenton opened his mouth to rebuttal, but was interrupted when Ray burst through the door.

"Fenton, I gotta talk to you about something," Ray said.

"As do I," Fenton declared.

"Come and follow me, we have to do this in private—"

"Never mind, I'm gonna go charm Lisa and we'll have fun at the movie night," Don interrupted. "You losers can go ahead and have your dumb discussion." He stood up and bumped Ray in the shoulder as he walked out of the room. Normally, this would make Ray angry and his fighting instincts would take over, but he didn't care about Don.

"Ray, we have to find Archer, I doubt he's been taken to West Campus and—"Fenton was interrupted.

"I know. I texted Suki, and Archer sent me this," Ray said while he held up the map for Fenton to see. "And I was hoping that you could help me find their hideout, and get to wherever they are. Are you good at solving maps?"

"Say no more, my Webelos training involved map reading; we'll find this hideout of theirs," Fenton said with a gleam in his eye.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Ray and Fenton entered the Observatory, which luckily had not been touched since Ian had come to tell CJ about the escape route through West Campus. CJ hadn't told her father that they used the Observatory, but instead told him that they planned the escape from her and Suki's dorm room. Headmaster believed her, and the Observatory stayed a secret.<p>

"I guess this is it," Ray stated as he walked through the bookcases and looked at the various objects the Observatory held. He walked up to the telescope on the platform in front of the windows and looked through it, only to become confused.

"Ray," Fenton broke the silence. "Come here, look at this."

Ray walked over to where Fenton was standing, in front of a board entitled '_What We Know'_. It contained drawings of Gnomes, maps of the school and its' underground tunnels, and anything about the school that one could imagine.

"So, this is how they escaped," Ray stated the obvious. "It must've taken a long time to figure all of this out. I'm glad we don't have to."

"I agree," Fenton said. His phone buzzed, announcing that curfew was in twenty minutes. "Meet here tomorrow at four?"

Ray nodded his head. "And then, we plan escape."

* * *

><p><strong>I admit, I had a bit of difficulty figuring out how to write Fenton and Ray into this story, but now that I did, I can promise that they'll take up more story space.<strong>

**Also, if you have any questions about something or if I wrote something unclear, I encourage you to tell me so I can either PM you or address it in the next chapter.**

**I'm not exactly sure when the next update will be, but I'll try to make this one a little quicker. I'll be away at summer camp until August though, so don't get your hopes up. I figured that my updates would be a lot more consistent and immediate once I have more inspiration (i.e., Tower Prep returns for a second season...)**

**Also, does anybody know whether or not there will be a second season or not? I've been following Paul Dini on Twitter and he hasn't said much...**

**Lastly, if anyone has any ideas of what should happen, I'd love to hear them. I've been having a little bit of trouble and I could use a good idea, plus I would put you in a disclaimer so you would get credit for it.**

**Thanks so much for reading my story and the warm reception it has been getting!**


	5. Chapter Five

**HEY! Remember me?**

**My bad, I got completely busy this past year and honestly entirely forgot this story.**

**I really lacked inspiration and yeah...**

**But, better late than never, right?**

**Enjoy this long-awaited chapter.**

**It's a bit short, but I assure you, there will be more to come.**

* * *

><p>Suki Sato had become quite used to Level Two in the five weeks she and her friends had been there. The schedule was simple and effective, but very repetitive. School, of course, was easy for her. She kept up her grades and was at the top of her class.<p>

Training, however, was not the same. She was well behind her Mimicry peers when she had first arrived. But now, they progressed at a rate that she couldn't keep up with. She got bored of the repetitive training. Every day, Mimicry played noises and sounds and voices that she was to repeat. She wasn't very good at it. Mimicry, and old British woman with her gray hair pulled up into a tight bun, clearly disliked Suki. She liked the others better.

There were six of them in total. First, Matilda. She had been at Level Two the longest of any of the Mimicries. A very petite girl, she stood at 5'1'' and barely weighed 100 pounds. She was breathtakingly beautiful, resembling a Barbie doll, and spent her evenings surrounded by many of her male classmates. She, like many others, had found the _real_ wall around Tower and climbed over it in her second week at the school. Next, Jaclyn and Angeline. Though not related, they looked nearly identical. Slim, yet defined, they were inseparable. Their jet black hair was parted the same exact way, revealing their olive skin and chocolate brown eyes. Jaclyn took the role of the leader of the two, and did the majority of the talking and interacting, while Angeline stood by her side, silent and content. Duane, Suki thought, was nothing special. She and many others were surprised by his presence at Level Two. Short and overweight, with a mop of brown hair, pale skin, and Harry Potter-like glasses, he blended in very easily. Suki guessed that he preferred it that way. Last, was Ruben. He, unlike his fellow Mimicries, was massive. Standing at 6'4'' and weighing 195 pounds, he intimidated nearly everyone. His best friend was Alex, the tough Preflex that trained with Ian. The two of them harassed nearly all of Level Two's students.

Suki wasn't surprised about that. She _was_ surprised, however, that Ian Archer did not stand up to either of them. Alex dominated Ian in training, brutally beating him to the ground everyday with his superior fitness and Preflex abilities. But Ian just took it, silently. Suki was worried about him. Gabe and Chandler were too. On a Tuesday night during free time, the three of them met in his and Gabe's room to talk.

"What is up with Ian?" Gabe asked. "He's barely spoken in weeks! He looks like a little puppy dog whenever I try to talk to him!"

"CJ told me about the time they talked," Suki sadly responded. "She read him while he was talking, and he was definitely upset. They both were."

"Where is Ian, actually?" Chandler asked.

"He's taking a shower, so we've gotta make this quick," Gabe said.

"We need to do something. Neither he or CJ have been the same since their 'break-up'," Chandler said. "What did he say to her?"

"Just that he was ending whatever was going on between them," Suki explained. "He was really hurt by her betrayal."

"We all were," Gabe added.

Silence followed. Suki and Gabe were shocked by CJ. She was extremely zealous about the escape from Tower. She seemed to want to desperately get out, to rediscover her past. She acted so lost and sad and confused about her past. Suki felt bad for her. But she was just playing them. She knew who she was. _Headmaster's daughter_. To make it worse, she gave away everything that they were doing. She backstabbed them. Suki was having trouble talking to her. For the first time in years, she felt awkward around her best friend. She didn't know what to say.

"We better leave; Ian's probably done showering," Chandler absently said, interrupting Suki from her thoughts. She was clearly thinking deeply about something.

* * *

><p>In the hallway, Chandler ambushed Suki with questions.<p>

"What exactly did Ian say? What did CJ say? What happened between them at Tower?"

Suki brought Chandler back to her room and told her their full story. She started from the beginning, with Ian's arrival at Tower, the Odyssey, the class elections, the phone call, Cal's return, and finally, their escape. Luckily CJ was in the Library studying, so the two were alone.

"So what you're telling me is that CJ and Ian are in love with each other and have been for awhile now?" Chandler asked.

"Yes, I thought that was already established," Suki stated questioningly. "What's the big deal?"

"From the moment I read both CJ and Ian, I could tell that something was going on. They are each other's biggest weakness. It all makes perfect sense!"

"Where are you going with this?"

"If we want to escape Level Two, then we need to have no weaknesses, and I mean _none_," Chandler declared. "Nobody has escaped from Level Two because they've been going about it all wrong. I've been trapped here for two years because I thought that I was supposed to do this on my own. But now I realize that it can only be done in a group. A strong group. One that has no weakness and runs efficiently."

"So you're saying that we need to get this group back together, especially Ian and CJ, if we're to get out."

"Definitely," Chandler affirmed. "But we have to figure out how to do this the right way. If they've been hurt the way you say they have, this won't be easy."

"Okay," Suki agreed. "I'll text Gabe. We'll figure something out."

* * *

><p>"How are we gonna do this?" Gabe asked, an hour later.<p>

"I'm not really sure," Chandler responded. "Have they talked at all since their talk?"

"No," Suki said. "They've barely even looked at each other. But the first step would be to get them to start talking again."

"Maybe we can lock them in a room together?" Chandler suggested.

"Or we can get together as a group and all of us leave, so they'd be forced to acknowledge each other," Suki thought.

"Or—"

"Guys! Stop," Gabe interrupted. "Maybe the best thing to do is let them do it. By _themselvesI. _ Give them time, you know? We shouldn't rush this."

He was instantly pushed onto the ground by Chandler. Hard.

"_I have been here for two years, Gabe! I've been here long enough! I can't do this alone and I _will not_ stay here any longer! I _have_ to get out_."

Gabe tried to respond, but the amount of pressure Chandler was putting on his chest wouldn't allow it. He made a _squeak_ in an attempt to hypersaude her. Chandler roughly got up, angrily walked across the room, and slammed the door with her exit.

"You should go back to your room, Gabe," Suki sadly demanded.

"Suki, I—"

"Go to bed, Gabe."

Gabe dejectedly walked down the stairs to the second floor and through the hall. Sighing, he scanned his PDA on the lock to room 219. The door clicked open with a _beep_.

Ian was already asleep. Deciding to do the same, Gabe changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed, Senor Guapo in hand.

_I always mess things up_, he thought. _They should've left me back at Tower. I'm not strong or good at fighting like Ian, or smart like Suki, or resourceful like CJ, or determined like Chandler. My hupersuasion doesn't even work! I'm useless._

With those thoughts, Gabe drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I am so so so so so SORRY about forgetting this story.<strong>

**I can't promise frequent or regular updates, but I am confident that there will be some.**

**I have some GREAT new ideas and I am excited for you guys to get to read them.**

**However, if you have any good ideas for this story, I'd love to hear them, so please, feel free to share.**


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